I just saw an Alton Brown show on this, and he surprised me ( again) saying it was the bread. He said that the invention of sliced bread has basically ruined bread. Because slicing means preserving it somehow - and that means a lot of ingredients that change and ultimately worsen the taste and texture.He says to get fresh bread and have them slice it for you and eat it up.He said the basic rule of thumb is that hard insides go with hard bread, soft goes with soft. I think there are some glaring exceptions to that rule - but for the most part he is right. And any sandwich that has something wet in it, like toms or lettuce, needs a fat based water barrier, like butter, oil, Mayo or cheese.

It seems that so many delis, or places that sell sandwiches, emphasize their homemade bread (Schlotzki's, Panera, Steamboat, a local Knoxville chain). Does that make bread the most important part, the part that gets our attention.

If you think about it, it can't be the bread. Without the innards you would just have toast! No one wants a toast and air sandwich. That would be bland!! But at the same time, a PBJ sndwich without the bread would be a huge mess that only your fingers would enjoy!

The insides of the sandwich are more important than the bread. The bread must not be a negative, that's the point, and if a positive that's even better. But who orders a sandwich based on bread? nobody. It's the insides that's key.

Hello All. I do not eat many "Sandwiches." Basically, I love the sandwich based on the filling. I am tempted to say bread, but a tomato sandwich needs a good tomato and the right mayo. Same with cucumber sandwich. And when I make a white bean sandwich, the only thing I care about is that the navy beans are well cooked and sprinkled heavily with black pepper. When I make a ham and cheese, or turkey and cheese, I care about the flavor of the cheese merging with the meat. But without bread, what have you got? Hades, the bread.

A sandwich is a system. If one part of the system is off, the entire system isn't perfect. A true Chicago style hot dog is a system: an S.Rosen/MaryAnne steamed poppy seed bun, a Vienna Beef hot dog that's been boiled, steamed, or char grilled with the correct condiments. If the bun is plain or not steamed, the system has been tampered with. If the hot dog has been prepared on a roller grill, the system has been tampered with. If the condiments are not (Chipico) neon green relish, kosher dill pickles, or sport peppers, the system has been tampered with. The bottom line is, if you mess with the system, it's not the real deal. Every part of the system is as important the other, unless you're prepared a kosher corned beef sandwich on white bread with mayo. Our motto is "DFWTS'" which means don't xxxx with the system.

CSDBorn in ChicagoRaised in ChicagoMoved to WisconsinSelling authentic Vienna Beef hot dogsNever using ketchup on a hot dog or eating a kosher corned beef sandwich on white with mayo

Lets not forget -- for more comples sandwiches (say an Italian cold-cut) -- a big part of it is the ORDER in which you lay out the ingredients AND the texture (i.e. shredder lettuce or meats and cheeses sliced very thinly).